The disclosed embodiments relate to a mounting card.
Traditionally, a flexible medical component, such as a catheter, is typically held on a mounting card that has a flat surface and that is packaged in a sterile condition. The mounting card also has a plurality of tabs for holding the flexible medical component (such as the catheter). The tabs are formed by making cuts such as a V-shaped cut or a U-shaped cut on the mounting card. Furthermore, the tabs are slightly lifted from the flat surface of the mounting card and the flexible medical component is placed between the flat surface of the mounting card and the tabs so that the flexible medical component is held on the mounting card. However, if a holding force of the tab (a force for returning the tab to the flat surface) is small, a force for holding the flexible medical component becomes insufficient. If the holding force of the tab (the force for returning the tab to the flat surface) is large, another problem arises such that it becomes hard to remove a packaged flexible medical component from a package in order to use the flexible medical component. If the flexible medical component is an elongated component, the proximal side of the component is often held on the mounting card and the component must be pulled out from the package when the component is removed from the package. In this case, if a distal portion of the component is not linear (for example, a catheter having a curved distal portion), the distal portion of the component may be caught by the tab, which may cause deformation or breakage of the distal portion of the component.
For example, Patent Literature 1 (National Publication of Translated Version No. 2007-527295) discloses a mounting card having a flat surface that holds an elongated flexible medical component, e.g., a catheter. The flat surface has relatively large tabs and relatively small tabs in pairs that hold the component. The relatively large tabs and the relatively small tabs are formed by making triangular cuts with rounded tips on the mounting card. The tabs are shaped in pairs to reduce damage to the flexible medical component when the flexible medical component is removed from the mounting card.
Patent Literature 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-201826) discloses a mounting card that has a flat surface for holding an elongated flexible medical component, e.g., a catheter. The flat surface has pairs of L-shaped or mountain-shaped tabs that hold the flexible medical component. The L-shaped or mountain-shaped tabs are formed by making cuts on a mounting card. Additionally, cuts on both ends of the tabs, toward the distal end side of the flexible medical component, reduce a pulling resistance of the flexible medical component.
As described above, traditionally, mounting cards with tab cutouts have been used so as to prevent damage to a flexible medical component by producing a small pulling resistance, even in a case when the flexible medical component is pulled out from the mounting card.
However, flexible medical components have various shapes, and there is a need for a mounting card that can be used with different shaped flexible medical components. Furthermore, there is a need for a mounting card that has a sufficient holding force for holding the flexible medical component and preventing deformation or breakage to the flexible medical component, even when the flexible medical component is pulled out from the mounting card.